Oracle is an American MNC, based in California, that deals in database software and technology, cloud engineered systems, and enterprise software products—particularly its own brands of database management systems. The company has been estimated at a brand value of over US$ 26 billion and is ranked among the top 20 most valuable brands in the world. Oracle is also one of the top 100 largest companies in the world by market value.
The company works on the mission to help people see data in new ways, discover insights, unlock endless possibilities. It designs, manufactures and sells both hardware and software products with its innovative solutions to sectors including financing, training, consulting, and hosting services.
Interestingly, several products that have been added to Oracle's portfolio are through acquisitions. Therefore, acquisition plays a crucial role in its brand building and peculiar technological offerings.
The year 2018 alone saw some significant technological acquisitions of Oracle in order to lead the tech-race at the forefront of transforming the industry. In February 2018, the company acquired Zenedge to add leading cloud-based application and network security capabilities to protect enterprises from today's complex digital threats. In April 2018, Oracle completed the acquisition of SparklineData to augment its PaaS services for enterprise customers transitioning to Big Data solutions. In the same month, the company bought Grapeshot a contextual intelligence and controlling brand which aimed at dramatically expanding Oracle Data Cloud's ability to improve marketing outcomes for its partners worldwide.
The company signed an agreement to acquire DataScience.com in May 2018. The latter's platform centralizes data science tools, projects, and infrastructure in a fully-governed workspace. In September the same year, Oracle acquired Iridize, a leading enterprise platform for personalized and contextual user onboarding and training for cloud applications.
After this, it went ahead to make two other significant acquisitions to enhance its technological offerings. Oracle bought DataFox and goBalto in October 2018. The company believes that its combination with DataFox enhances Oracle Cloud Applications with an extensive set of trusted company-level data and signals, enabling customers to reach even better decisions and business outcomes. On the other hand, Oracle-acquired goBalto delivers leading cloud solutions to accelerate clinical trials by streamlining and automating the selection and set up of the best performing clinical research sites to conduct trials.
Additionally, Oracle's this year's cloud-based acquisition of CloudTwist is expected to enable organizations of all sizes to deliver personalized engagement and extend loyalty and reward programs to a brand's most beneficial customer behaviors.
In April 2018, Oracle established a strategic partnership with FireEye. The collaboration introduced FireEye's first Oracle cloud solution, FireEye Email Security on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI).
The collaboration offers the optimization of the Oracle bare metal cloud environment and helps customers move to a cloud environment that offers flexibility, cost efficiencies, ease of deployment and security.
In January 2019, the US-based tech company secured a significant partnership with VANTA Network. The company is working directly with Oracle ISV/OEM business unit as an ISV (independent software vendor) to expand the reach to not only consumers but also to enterprise customers. Additionally, Oracle's existing enterprise customers will have access to VANTA's UCaaS service and voice/video API. The Oracle Cloud Marketplace and Oracle ISV/OEM business unit will help the company attract Oracle's international enterprise customers as users and customers of itself.
Oracle regularly strives to utilize the latest technologies with a view to transforming business operations for better. The company has taken numerous initiatives in its journey to technological transformation. Oracle is working towards migrating infrastructure to the next generation cloud platform. Thereafter, all corporate applications will be hosted on the oracle next-generation cloud. Such a significant move reduces infrastructure costs as well as reduces space and power utilization across the globe. The cloud migration has been initiated and will span across a couple of years. The next logical sequence of cloud migration termed as Data Centre consolidation is also in progress keeping in mind the reducing need for physical data centers and increasing demand for flexible infrastructure utilization.
Resiliency is another key to the effective management of operations and Oracle has successfully implemented disaster recovery initiatives for critical infrastructure services ensuring a balance between tolerance to downtime and effective technology investments. The cloud migration initiative is also crucial in planning efficient and effective requirements for vital infrastructure.
In order to provide organizations with transformational tools through which they can embrace innovation, Oracle has recently announced continued advancements in emerging technologies across Oracle Cloud, including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, blockchain, IoT, and human interfaces. The company's strategy is to make emerging technologies pervasive across its cloud offerings. To aid its customers to take advantage of these technologies to drive their digital transformation, Oracle has incorporated innovative technologies into its business applications and extended its new capabilities into the platform so customers can build upon them. Also, the company's Cloud Infrastructure serves as the foundational enabler for Oracle's AI and Autonomous capabilities.
Oracle has also embedded machine learning and advanced AI into its Cloud services. Oracle CX applications, for example, comprise built-in AI tools that better predict account health, deliver next-best service actions, automate answers and provide more personalized services. The company also incorporates machine learning into its security offerings in order to help detect security threats. Additionally, Oracle significantly combines machine learning with decades of database optimization to deliver the world's first and only self-driving database.
Oracle is continuously making significant investments in research and development to develop unique and innovative solutions that the global industries need today and shall need in the future as well. Its net investment in research and development has been noted as US$6.03 billion in 2019. The company dedicated its in-house R&D centers to develop a variety of products that are used in numerous companies around the world for running their critical business operations. It's technology when combined with building applications provides a competitive edge to its product offerings.
The industry is undergoing fundamental transformation driven by a rapid evolution of technologies, the rise of consumer forces and the increasing scope and speed of regulations. Amid this, Oracle is investing in new-age technologies to create insightful and context-aware solutions for digitally savvy customers. The company's commitment to innovation is a driving factor that keeps it at the forefront of the IT industry. The company's continuous planned investments in research and development and unwavering focus on excellence enable it to evolve with the industry and helps its customers achieve their goals. Oracle's products and solutions help drive transformation initiatives, harness the potential of disruptive technologies and successfully manage regulatory demands.
Recently in 2019, Oracle unveiled its "in-country" dual region strategy to help customers address disaster recovery and compliance needs. In order to support its customers around the world, the company plans to launch 20 new Oracle Cloud regions by the end of 2020, for a total of 36 Oracle Cloud Infrastructure regions. This expansion includes regions in new countries and dual, geographically separated regions in the U.S., Canada, Brazil, U.K., EU, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel, and new government regions in the U.K. and Israel. Additionally, Oracle has decided to update to its roadmap for its interconnect with Microsoft Azure.
Besides, the futuristic digital frontier of Oracle includes its potential to drive digital transformation through platform technologies. The company is focusing on enhanced transactional processes using touchless transactions through RPA and streamlined processes delivered by AI; improved confidence in organizational data and processes for faster intercompany transfers using blockchain and more secure B2B payments via blockchain; streamlined strategic and operational decision making through greater efficiency through visualization and enhanced business value via advanced analytics.
Also, the cloud offering of Oracle amalgamated with advanced digital can develop strategic roadmaps for using them to propel digital transformation forward.
It's not a cakewalk to map a digital future but deliberate sensing and evaluating emerging technologies, considering the non technology forces unlocking new opportunities, and creating a series of well-defined but aspirational ambitions, the company will be able to make the unknown knowable. It will further harness Oracle's confidence and construct to embrace digital ecosystem while thriving to move beyond the digital frontier.
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